Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi

Research Corporation
of the University of Hawai‘i
3.350 RCUH Hardship Allowance
I. Policy
It is the RCUH’s policy to provide Principal Investigators with a process to issue a one-time allowance (e.g., payment through payroll) to assist employees through an unforeseen work- related incident/accident/disaster that creates a financial hardship on the employee(s).
II. Responsibilities Unit
A. Principal Investigator
1. Submit a written request for the hardship allowance by following the below- prescribed procedures.
2. Ensure fiscal administrator’s approval (if a UH service-ordered project).
B. Fiscal Administrator (if a UH service-ordered project)
1. Review request of hardship allowance and amount.
III. Applications
This policy applies to Principal Investigators who employ RCUH employees of all employment categories or FTE. All RCUH employees, regardless of employment category or FTE, are covered under this policy. This policy does not apply to any consultant, volunteer, or non- employee of the RCUH.
IV. Details of Policy
A. Principal Investigator Must Initiate the Hardship Allowance Request – The hardship allowance must be initiated by the Principal Investigator and will be dependent on availability of funds and fiscal approval.
B. The IAD Must Have Occurred During Work – The incident/accident/disaster (IAD) must have occurred during authorized work-related activity or work schedule. This allowance is not applicable for any IAD that occurs during paid/unpaid leaves or outside of the employee’s scope of work (e.g., outside of employee’s job description and/or stated/authorized work assignment).
C. Amount of Hardship Allowance – The amount of the hardship allowance will not exceed $1000 per employee. However, the Principal Investigator may request a higher amount with appropriate justification.
V. Procedures

A. The Principal Investigator must initiate a memo or a Personnel Action Form (PAF) to the attention of RCUH Director of Human Resources with the following details:
1. Name of the employee(s)
2. The nature of the incident /accident /disaster
3. How this has adversely affected the employee(s) financially
4. Amount of the hardship allowance
5. Project account number to charge.
B. The memo/PAF will need to be certified by the project’s fiscal administrator (for UH service-ordered projects only).
C. Upon approval of the request, payments will be subject to applicable and required deductions and generated via the RCUH payroll system. Payments will normally be part of an employee’s payroll made through direct deposit.
D. The approved memo/PAF will be placed in the employee’s personnel file for audit/reference purposes.
VI. Contact
RCUH Administration: (808) 956-3100
[email protected]
VII. Relevant Documents
Personnel Action Form (PAF)
Date Revised: 4/25/17